Newborn pigs usually remain with the sow for approximately 20 to 30 days, at which time each weighs approximately 15 pounds. The pigs are then taken from the sow, placed in community pens and fed a dry feed. This weaning of the pigs and placing them in community pens causes as many as 50% of the pigs to have scours or diarrhea within two to three days after being placed in the pens.
Of the 50% which develop scours, it is not unusual for one-fifth or 20% of the pigs with diarrhea to die, without treatment. Approximately 20% of the pigs with scours will recover without an appreciable loss of weight, but the other 60% of scoured pigs will lose a significant amount of weight through rapid dehydration, and this loss of weight must be made up through additional time and additional feed. Obviously, there is a tremendous economic loss occasioned by the death of approximately ten percent of all weaned pigs, and a significant weight loss suffered by 30% of all weaned pigs.
Another monogastric which is highly susceptible to scours or diarrhea is homo sapien . . . as a newborn infant, during various states of development and after maturity. Newborn infants are highly susceptible to diarrhea and adults are often troubled with diarrhea as a result of traveling to countries foreign to the United States, where the drinking water might not be as clean as that to which they have been accustomed.
Yet another monogastric which is troubled with scours or diarrhea, is the equine.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method for treating scours or diarrhea in monogastric animals, which is relatively quick-acting and which does not have any harmful side effects.
A further object is to provide such a method in which the material can be administered orally in the form of a paste or a liquid mixture.
Another object is to provide such a method which is especially safe and effective for the treatment of humans during all stages of development and at maturity. More particularly, it is an object to provide such a method which is especially suitable for the treatment of newborn infants.
Yet another object is to provide a novel method for treating other monogastrics such as pigs and horses, whereby they can be quickly returned to normal without any appreciable weight loss or harmful side effects.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a method which is relatively inexpensive and easy to use.
We have discovered that the aforementioned objects and advantages are achieved by feeding to monogastric animals, an effective amount of pregelatinized starch in a paste form or in a liquid mixture.